


Double or nothing.

by EnochianLullabies



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, i love chase even if sometimes it looks like i dont
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:49:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnochianLullabies/pseuds/EnochianLullabies
Summary: House kisses Wilson's check as part of an 'act', it feels too natural to him, so, of course, he has to turn it all into a game, Wilson catches up pretty quickly. The ducklings try to not get scarred for life.
Relationships: Greg House/James Wilson
Comments: 32
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic does not have a soundtrack, BUT! To all my Spanish knowing people I wrote this listening to Extremoduro, because, seriously, there’s nothing more House TM than Extremoduro; particularly I was listening to: Si te vas…, Tango suicida, Golfa, La vereda de la puerta de atrás, and, Segundo movimiento: lo de fuera.

“Ever loved anybody else?” was the next question, and House felt a knot on his throat. ‘Yes, of course, yes’ was the answer to that, ‘can’t you see?’

“No more questions” he said, dismissing his own thoughts. And ended up alone with that man on a hotel room, being the last person he would ever talk too, telling him some unhelpful words that he would repeat to his son.

After that, it took a while for things to calm down, but, soon enough, after what looked like millenniums, House was back on his feet, more or less, not even thinking about that trip for more than two hours a day. Tormenting everyone around him and saving lives.

“So what do you have for me today that won’t bore me to brain death?”

“A kid with-” started Chase, reading a file that Cuddy had handed him.

“Is he sneezing?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, thank God you’re pretty Chase. Don’t talk to me again today. Cameron?” And just like that Chase remembered why he wasn’t, usually, the one that brought the cases to House.

“Cameron isn’t here” Chase replied, a little hurt, not looking directly at House.

“That’s true” he said turning away from the coffee machine “I should have known for the lack of someone feeding on my neediness and nagging at me.”

“Isn’t usually Wilson the one that na-”

“Isn’t usually Wilson” House mocked Chase. “You wash your dirty mouth before talking like that about your father!”

“That’s-”

“And where’s Foreman? I would make a racist remark, but it isn’t funny if he isn’t here. Are they having an office affair?”

“He’s assisting on neurology. You know we _do_ work and not only entertain you, do you?” Chase replied, House smiled knowing he had annoyed him and, probably, ruined his day.

“Oh, do you, now? And why are you sitting here instead of ‘working’?” he asked, putting the coffee back down next to the machine just so he could air quote then took the cup back up again.

“Cuddy made us sign a clause stating that one of us has to be with you always to prevent you from putting your thermometer up somewhere it shouldn’t be.”

“Ha, ha, too late” he said, finally sitting in front of Chase, he was about to kick him out and make him look for an actual case that wasn’t a kid with a cold when Wilson entered the room. “Oh, Wilson! My friend!”

“I’m not lending you any money.”

“You offend me, Wilson, I’m like a charity sister, I get nothing from money.”

“Oh, yes, ‘charity sister’ is definitely your proper definition, House. What do you want?”

“You barge in my meeting room, distracting my ducklings from work” at that Wilson looked around, about to say something, but only gasped a little and let House go on, crossing his arms “and you ask _me_ what _I_ want?”

“Skip the drama House, I have a meeting with a patient in ten minutes.”

“Are you screwing her?”

“Fuck you, House.”

“You wish.”

“Do you actually want anything from me or do you just like fucking with me?”

“You’re quite the dirty talker today.”

“You know, House, some of us actually have work, so when you-”

“That’s funny, Chase just remind me of that” House said, and pointed with his head to Chase, still sitting right there, at that Wilson turned to him, Chase waved back at the oncologist and Wilson did that thing, thinning his lips that he always did when he was getting exasperated at House.

“- stop being a child, and I’m _not_ in a meeting with a patient you come and tell me what you want” he said, and walked out of the room, letting the glass door swing after him.

“Someone got his panties in a twist today” House said, sitting again in front of Chase.

“But when did you ask for Wilson’s help? Haven’t you just come?”

“Oh, I left a post-it with ‘Very Urgent’ wrote on it on top of his desk before coming to the meeting room. I think he was in the toilet.”

“But we don’t have a case, why did you do it?”

“I hadn’t seen him yet today, that elusive little man.”

Chase only furrowed his eyebrows, he wasn’t going to be the one picking at that statement, not when he already was the least liked of the ‘ducklings’. Sometime later, when it was clear House wasn’t going to teach some life or med lesson Chase left the room and went looking for somewhere where he could be needed. Sometimes he asked himself if he was too attached to his position, if he should change.

At lunch time House stopped watching General Hospital on coma-guy room and walked to Wilson’s office, he didn’t bother knocking, but when he tried to open the door he found it closed, he arched his eyebrow, what could have happened for his friend to left work early?

“You sneaky bitch” he whispered. “Wilson! I know you’re there!” he shouted, and knocked on the door with his cane. He walked back to his own office, thinking of jumping through the balcony, he found a post-it on the glass door.

‘VERY URGENT’ it read on red, angry letters.

House smiled, even snickered a little.

He found Wilson on coma guy-room after looking in the canteen, the toilets, and outside, he was already eating some salad, making the saddest face every time his mouth made contact with the plain lettuce flavor instead of that of a good meal. House sat next to him.

“When did you sneak in?”

“Being able to use the stairs is quite useful, you should try it. Where is your food?”

“Why did you order the salad if you don’t like it? And what are you doing here?”

“I’m watching my figure. And trying to hide from you.”

“Oh, honey, but I like you like this, don’t worry.” He said, examining the salad plate, looking for something yummy to eat out of it, he found an olive and picked it up and ate it, it was boneless. “Don’t look at me like that, I washed my hands before coming here.”

“Why don’t you, I don’t know, buy your own food and then come back?”

“So you want me to come back?”

“House, you’re being specially annoying today, why?”

“I don’t have a case yet, and my ducklings are starting to swim alone, I’m a sad mother duck” House said, taking a second chair and moving it so he could sit next to Wilson.

“I-” Wilson started, House found another olive and ate it too, now sitting next to Wilson and facing the T.V. “You know what? Never mind. Here, I’ll pay for your food, just go get it.”

“You’re sending little crippled me to get the food all the way to the canteen and back?”

“You want me to, not only pay for your food, but go get it and bring it back? You only have to take the elevator.”

House was about to answer to that and make Wilson go get his food when Foreman entered the room, almost running, lab coat floating around him like a cape, anyone that couldn’t see Foreman was the sexier of his kids was just- anyway.

“House! We need you.”

“Always, I know. Why this time though? It’s launch break.”

“A neurology case. And your launch break was two hours ago.”

“Boring” he said immediately, knowing that that wasn’t all that was to the case Foreman was presenting, and he was about to explain exactly why.

“She has almost all the symptoms to Bell’s palsy.”

“’Almost all the symptoms’, how’s that entertaining? You see what I have to put up with, Wilson?” he added turning towards him, Wilson just arched his eyebrows, still trying to eat his salad, especially the olives.

“Except” Foreman interrupted his boss, rolling his eyes “She doesn’t have Bell’s palsy. She also has ataxia and her liver is starting to fail. Doesn’t seem to have any brain damage nor allergies, doesn’t drink.”

“Did you ask her all that?”

“Yes.”

“How many times do I have to tell you ‘Everyone lies’” he looked at Wilson and rolled his eyes, remarking his thinking. Wilson just looked at Foreman as if he was asking for forgiveness in House’s place. Foreman already knew the act, so he looked back at his boss. “Well, honey, I’m leaving, don’t wait up for me” he said, and stood up, took his cane and kissed Wilson’s check who remained silent, gapping.

House smiled at that, he loved having the last word and that wasn’t something he always got away with, with Wilson.

“Did you just kiss Wilson?” Foreman said, walking as fast as he could to the room their patient was on, knowing he was risking House realizing something and going back to the other room.

“It was bound to happen” House answered.

“Don’t get me wrong, last thing I want is for me to look like I care, but, why?” he said calling for the elevator that was there in less time that Foreman used to finish talking.

“So cold, Foreman, that’s why I like Cameron better. Anyway, is it lupus or no?”

Foreman rolled his eyes and walked into the elevator.

House realized then, as the doors closed before his eyes, just being stooped by Foreman, that he had, in fact, kissed Wilson’s check. For a moment he felt paralyzed but Foreman urging him to get into the elevator took him back to reality. Wilson, surely, would have taken it as part of the joke, but it had felt… natural. _Awfully_ natural.

Moments later he was too entertained by the new case to think about the kiss for the next two days.

The next time it happened was only a week later. What scared House was that he had never before kissed Wilson, and now, there he was, like he was wearing a ‘free kisses’ sign hanging from his fucking neck.

He was on the meeting room, talking to the ducklings, more like trying to talk them out of their stupid ideas and into a plausible diagnosis. Wilson was sitting there among them, like he sometimes did, like he was part of the department too, he was sitting the closest to the white board where House was writing and connecting the symptoms, and then, he had to go and say something brilliant, the damn intelligent, smart, charming man.

And House said:

“Look, someone has been paying attention in class!” and bended over to kiss his forehead. “Now go and get me some results so we know which one of Wilson’s ideas is killing Lady Di.” All three of them stood up and left the room, talking about what had just happened just as they stood foot outside, of course, Foreman had already told them about the incident from last week, Chase was laughing and Cameron was furrowing his eyebrows. Wilson didn’t move. “What, you had anything else to share? Please do.”

“You’re kissing me an awful lot nowadays.” Wilson said, and House froze for a moment and stooped closing the marker. “Is Cameron not paying attention to you anymore?” he added, smiling. House relaxed and closed the black marker.

“Oh, no, I’m just trying to get her jealous” he answered, putting the marker in its place, resting his hand on the whiteboard, gaining distance between him and Wilson.

“Now I feel used.”

“Do you want to feel even more used?” he said wiggling his eyebrows, and Chase, that had forgotten his pen on the table of the diagnosis room, and was opening the door to go get it, just closed the door again, mouth open; getting the pen wasn’t worth hearing where the conversation between his boss and Wilson was leading.

“You’re going to traumatize them” Wilson said noticing what Chase had done.

“It’s like catching your parents having sex. I wouldn’t be a good mentor if I didn’t traumatize them.”

“That explains quite a lot-”

“Stop psychoanalyzing me, it’s getting old. Don’t you have to go tell someone they are dying?”

Wilson looked at his watch, making it tingle a little “Oh, actually, it’s 3 p.m. my favorite ‘you’re dying’ hour. I hope you don’t need me to save your diagnosis for at least another twenty minutes.”

“We’ll try to survive without you.”

“Awesome. You want to dinner tonight?”

“You’re buying.”

“I already knew that before asking. Please try not to barge into my office for the rest of the afternoon,” he said and stood up, “ _dear_ ” he added, kissing House check. He left before House had time to recover and made him late for the meeting with his patient that was, luckily, not dying.

House stood there for as long as his leg let him, with his hand on his check. Damn, not even a good case would make him think of a thing that wasn’t Wilson’s lips on his check, and this one wasn’t even as entertaining as a case should be.

But he knew what he had to do, raise it so Wilson was the one left there standing, looking like an idiot and not himself.

After attending some clinic hours, he broke through the glass doors to the team room singing about love. “If you had to… take a kiss on the check up a notch what would you do?” Chase winced, scared the door would shatter, or hit him, or whatever kids were scared of these days, House rolled his eyes at him. He was happy to notice that he wasn’t the only one on the meeting room, lately his team was scattered all around.

“A kiss on the check?” Chase asked when he was sure the door wouldn’t cause him any harm.

“That’s the exact same thing I just said. Any other bright ideas, Cameron?”

“We should start debating Wilson’s ideas for a diagnosis, or is he the head of the department now?” Foreman said, and saw House wincing at Wilson’s name mention, he arched and eyebrow, moved a little on the chair. Straight to the jugular, he was good, House noticed. He had always been good.

“A kiss on the lips?” Cameron said.

“That’s too much, bring it down.”

“What, scared of kissing Wilson?” Foreman said. House stopped on his tracks and looked at him, asking him to elaborate. “You kissed his check a week ago, then again this morning; I suppose you have some kind of… bet going on, or something.”

“Yes, would you be interested on betting?”

“No.”

“A hundred says I win.”

“How do you even ‘win’?” Cameron said. “What are you even betting on?”

“It’s like an elaborate game of gay chicken.” Chase explained.

“Are you talking about your life?” House talked back. “If Wilson doesn’t raise it in a… week, I win. And vice versa.”

“That’s arbitrary.” Foreman said.

“I wasn’t-” Chase tried to explain himself.

“It makes no sense” Cameron ended, and all eyes were on her for a moment, she just shrugged.

“Can we go back to the case now?” Foreman said. And they did talk about the case for a while, decided which new tests they should run and were about to go and do their job, _finally_ , as Foreman had expressed, when an idea run through Cameron’s mind, the boys were already out. House was looking at her, waiting for whatever was running through her head.

“So what do you plan to do? Raise it till you end up jerking Wilson on the clinic?”

“That’s too dirty to come out of your mouth, Cameron. You’re getting me all hot and bothered” he answered, winking before leaving the room in the direction the guys hadn’t gone.

“House!” she shouted after him. So House really did like Wilson? Wasn’t it all only jokes? She sat on one of the chairs for a moment, eyes open, mind razing.

“Cameron?” Chase came back looking for her.

“House really likes Wilson, doesn’t he?” she said out loud, not looking at Chase.

“Don’t be stupid, he likes him, of course; but they are friends. Just like… You and m- you and Foreman.”

Cameron just nodded, she looked up as Chase was about to go looking for a thermic blanket for her. He lent her a hand and she got up. Sometime later she brushed it all off and really got back up on her feet, devoting her mind to running the texts next to Chase and Foreman, but, at the back of her head something was breaking.

The girl almost died that afternoon. Two times. It was about ten p.m. when he finally broke through the case. Chase pointed that that was a strange pattern that all their cases seemed to have. He called all his ducklings to their meeting room and explained, with great detail and three metaphors why they all were stupid, save for, maybe, Cameron, who had done something right, even if House wasn’t about to tell her. 

It wasn’t even that late, but he was… demolished. As was his team. He sat down on his chair at the same time they all stood up.

“We are going to grab something for-” Chase stopped talking to look at his watch “-dinner?” he looked around, Foreman shrugged. “Dinner. See you tomorrow, House.”

“If you want to-” Cameron started to talk.

“Wilson!” House cried, and stood up, his eyes opening wide.

“He shouts that a lot when women are asking him to dinner, Cameron, don’t worry” Foreman told her. “Good night, House” he said, but House was already moving pass them to get out of his office.

He didn’t bother knocking on Wilson’s door; he wasn’t sure if his friend would be there. Some other day he wouldn’t have bothered looking for him, not even on his office, he would have looked at his missed calls, erase them, and just go home and slept, next morning he would have made some sarcastic remark about saving lives when Wilson told him about missing their little date and that would have been the end of it; but he hadn’t wanted to miss dinner with his friend and he felt…

Well, he felt, he wasn’t going to elaborate on that anymore. He opened the door and saw Wilson with an arm on the table, hand keeping his head up, table light on.

“I’ll do you a favor: it’s cancer.”

“Oh, thank you, I was between that and cancer.”

“I can see why you got confused” he said, walking towards the table. Wilson didn’t seem angry. “Look, I-” ‘Wait, am I about to say I’m sorry? Who am I becoming?’ “-think you promised dinner, don’t you keep your promises Jimmy boy?” ‘Much better’ he thought.

“Oh, yes, I thought you were too busy killing that woman once again to came asking for it, so I just waited.”

“You waited?”

“I keep my promises, House. Normal people do that. Almost all the time” he said getting up and putting both hands on the table where House was already leaning upon so he could distribute his weight on something more solid than his cane. That, as House noticed, brought them awfully close to each other. “Now, before any of your ducklings come here running looking for you, do you want to have dinner or no? I may ask Cuddy instead next time.”

“Please, have you seen that ass? She would be far more expensive than I am.”

Wilson smiled shaking his head and moved. House feel something close to disappointment on his chest when Wilson moved away and not closer to him.

“Let’s go” he said putting some papers on his briefcase and taking his jacket.

“You’re driving.”

“Of course I am; I’m not riding that bike. Ever” Wilson assured him, House gestured for him to go through the door first and waited till Wilson did so, exasperated look on his face and briefcase on hand, to slap his ass. He didn’t even turn! House didn’t see him rolling his eyes, but Cuddy did.

“I don’t even want to know what that sound was” she said. “Why are you still here?”

“Office sex” House said, getting out of Wilson’s office too.

“I was finishing some paperwork in between fucking him, yes.”

“I’d be the one doin-”

“I don’t care, I don’t want to know, and I’ll never want to.” Cuddy said. “Now, House remember you own me-”

“Yes, like a thousand clinic hours, I know. Anything else? I have a sweet ass to-”

“Good night.”

“Good night, Cuddy.” Wilson said before House could interrupt. “And sorry” he added, with that little movement of his head that seemed involuntary but House was sure was completely intentional to make his words seem honest-er.

The dinner went as well as expected. House had raised it right in front of Cuddy, albeit not intentionally, but it still counted; and Wilson wasn’t responding to it, maybe he wouldn’t. He was a little disappointed, to be honest, he had hopped Wilson would keep up, like he always does. He also knew he was being impatient, it was only an hour later and he was declaring a loser and a winner, and, more important, the end of the game; was he scared?

“And I… I feel alone” Wilson said, like he had been talking for some time, House suspected he had, indeed, been doing so, and shook his head a little, right, he was talking to Wilson because they were having dinner together.

“So go fuck a nurse. Nothing you haven’t done before.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yet or again?”

“Either.”

House rolled his eyes, unbelieving. They finished dinner and, because Wilson’s statement was true and he was feeling quite alone on his own (pathological romantic, at least for a while, and serial relationship-er, House remembered) they hit a pub after it, had some drinks and tried to talk over the music, slowly drawing closer on the corner sofa they had chosen to sit at; they were laughing about something when Wilson felt the need to go to the toilet. House dismissed him with his hand and, at the same time, he made eye contact with a woman that didn’t wait a second to walk over to their table making her hips move as much as possible in between dodging tables and patrons.

“Hey there” she said.

“Hey there yourself. Do you know I’m a doctor?” House said, already eyeing the woman’s cleavage. 

“Oh, that’s really interesting.”

“A lot of me is ‘really interesting’, love” he answered, grateful for the girl lack of qualms for bending over the table. House was a second away from asking in a very inappropriate way if the woman was a prostitute, and either dismissing her because he had no money or making her slap him because she wasn’t and how dared him ask that?, when Wilson came back from the toilet.

“The queue was inexistent. I’m feeling lucky tonight” he said, as if the woman and her breast weren’t there, and House feared for the worst. Wilson smirked and House knew he wasn’t going to get slapped by the girl but wasn’t going to take her home any day soon either. Wilson sat putting both legs over House’s good leg, like he had been sitting there his whole life “I’m ready to go home” he said, putting his head on House shoulder and glancing at the woman, “babe” he whispered at House’s ear; House thought he did so more to aggravate him that to scare away the woman (even more), because for one she couldn’t hear him over all the noise and for two she was already leaving.

“You!” House shouted but Wilson didn’t move and no one could have heard anything coming from House because Wilson’s laugh was silencing everything around them. “You’re evil and cunning, a little evil and cunning devil!” he shouted once Wilson had finished laughing.

“That was more fun that I had all week.”

“Isn’t telling people they are dying as fun as it seems?”

“Oh, it is, but killing the possibilities of you getting lay tonight is even funnier.” Wilson said, and finally moved his legs from top of House’s, but didn’t move an inch apart from him. “Now, can I interest you in another drink?” he said, watching as the waitress was coming over to them. Wilson wasn’t sure if the reason was to kick them out, he just hoped it wasn’t.

“Yes, please.” House answered, and passed a hand through his hair. “Fuck” he whispered, and Wilson laughed again. Wilson asked for the drinks and House was left there, staring at his profile like he was studying a test result, admiring a Steinway & Sons; he was just old same Wilson as always, and, at the same time, he wasn’t. Nothing on Wilson had changed, no, but House’s perception seemed to be doing so, to be realizing it was doing so, it was as if he was a firefighter in the middle of a fire, smoke getting on his eyes, looking for a way to find an exit, just to realize that, if he wasn’t dead already because of the burning smoke, it was because he was right next to the open door.

And it was… Too many drinks. He was having to many drinks, unable to move away from Wilson, smiling like a teenager to everything his friend said. He just hoped next morning he wouldn’t remember his little realization, whatever it meant.

“We should go, it’s getting late.”

“Oh, Wilson, you’re not fun.”

Wilson thought of a snarky response, but remembered he had had three strong drinks and wasn’t sure anything what he was thinking was as funny out loud, so he just looked at his watch and decided to really call it a night “I know, I know. But I have dying kids to see tomorrow. I better get home.”

“How are you getting home?”

“I’ll call a taxi. I’m too drunk to take the car, that’s for sure.”

“Then how would you get to work tomorrow?”

“I’ll call another taxi.”

“And, let me guess, another taxi to get here tomorrow and get your car back?”

“Well-”

“That’s an awful lot of money you’re willing to spend just to not sleep on my couch one night, I thought you liked it.”

“I didn’t know it was on the menu.”

“If you play your cards well enough that won’t be the only thing on the menu.”

Wilson rolled his eyes. “How is it different taking a taxi to your home or mine?”

“We will pay half and half.” House said, standing up already perching on his cane, jacket on, as if he was the one that had asked to go home and was waiting for Wilson to decide to move.

“I know that’s not true.”

“And yet you’re still coming with me” House said squinting his eyes. “What does that say about you?”

“That’s something I’ve been asking myself for far too many years.” Wilson said, almost murmuring, and followed House outside and to his house.


	2. Chapter 2

House went into the diagnosis room singing about a flowering cherry tree, using his cane to open the doors; Cameron tried to say something as soon as he finished drawing the last ‘I don’t care’ of the song, looking at her deadly in the eyes, she didn’t back off.

“Last night Wilson scared a woman off of my dick and stayed the night. How do I raise that?” asked House, not looking at the team directly, instead walking to the coffee machine.

“Didn’t he raise ‘it’ already?” Chase said, looking at House half smiling. Damn, wasn’t he beautiful when he tried to be cheeky.

“I want to be left out of this conversation” Foreman said.

“Are you jealous?” House replied.

“Did you come together to work?” Cameron asked, giving him a cup of coffee, he took it, she smiled and sat next to Chase.

“Kiss him?” Chase suggested at the same time she was sitting. Cameron looked at him like he had personally tried to kill her puppy, Foreman raised an eyebrow at that. “What?” he shouted “Just saying, that’s where this all is leading to anyway.”

“Chase, you know nothing about bets or love. I hope you at least know enough about medicine to be wearing a lab coat.” House said, stopping the wordless fight between his two employees, leaning on the white board while sipping the coffee Cameron had made from him. He was about to dismiss them and sit at his own chair when Foreman talked.

“Buy him something.”

“Weren’t you out of the conversation?” Chase jumped at hearing Foreman talking again.

Foreman just ignored him “A gesture in front of some cute nurse he’s trying to woo, that’s similar but just up a notch.”

“That’s actually… not a horrible idea, Foreman. Look, kids, this is how adults talk” he said, and Foreman actually smiled, the adorable idiot, House did too. “Now, go get me a case or do whatever you do when you’re not following me around. I have some shopping to do.” They all got up. “Wait. Actually. Chase-” House almost felt bad at seeing the smile on Chase’s face, “-are you actually gay or just Australian?”

“Australian” he answered quickly looking at Cameron and back at House.

“I don’t believe you, but-” he said shrugging a little. “Cameron, come with me.”

“Me? I’m not gay.”

“I know, you’re crazy about me; I’m sure you have better taste for men and gifts than Chase and Foreman together.”

“Hey, I have an implacable taste for gifts.” Foreman said defending himself, knowing House wasn’t about to take him shopping anyway.

“Go away, you untasteful men. Cameron, get your car, we are going shopping.”

“This is-” Cameron said but actually took her jacket and purse, she liked the idea of spending some time with House, even if it wasn’t on her ideal conditions. She was trying not to think about it all, so hard, in fact, that they went into the car and Cameron even started it before she realized what was happening, and she had to ask House: “What is this all really about, House?”

She wasn’t stupid, she wasn’t so madly in love that she couldn’t see that there was more to all that was happening that a bet, if that was all House would have never wasted money, and she was pretty sure he wanted to buy the present himself.

“As always, about me winning.” House answered. He gestured for Cameron to start driving and she almost did out of habit to do what House was asking of her. But she didn’t.

“Winning what, House? You don’t really have a bet going. Wilson isn’t even aware he’s playing anything and-”

“Wilson is well aware.”

“You’re playing with his heart” she answered, putting both hands on the wheel, knowing that that wasn’t all that was to it, knowing House would omit whatever he didn’t want to hear.

“If anything he’s playing with mine.”

“Are you-” Cameron started and House knew two things:

  1. No one would be able to keep her from asking it.
  2. He was.



“-in love with Wilson, House?”

“I’m in love with the idea of _annoying_ Wilson, Cameron” he answered, adding the just amount of musicality to Cameron’s name so she knew it was a snarky remark.

“Someone is going to get hurt.”

“Yes, us by carbon dioxide poisoning if you don’t start to move, woman!”

Cameron, somehow reluctant, started driving, leaving the hospital’s parking. They visited a florist and a jeweler, hit the mall and came back empty to the hospital parking in about two hours.

“What a disaster” House babbled.

“You didn’t like anything! And didn’t stay in any shop for more than two minutes!”

“And you love me! We all have our faults, don’t pick at me.”

“That was-” Cameron looked away from him “-uncalled for. And mean. House, that was just, unnecessary.”

“Half the things I tell you are mean and-”

“No, not this way.” Cameron had locked the doors what made impossible for House to make his scape. Cameron looked at him. “All this thing. Picking me to drove you to get a present for… Wilson, out of the three of us; just to be an asshole the whole time and now you say-”

“You know what they say, if it itches...”

“Get out of the car, House. Please” she said unlocking the doors.

“Finally.” House was about to say something more, but decided against it and left the car. Cameron stayed in, with both hands on the wheel, looking out the front windscreen.

House limped his way almost all the way to the elevator before Cuddy sent him to do clinic hours. Thankfully, not twenty minutes onto it Chase came jumping like a kangaroo to get him back to where he was supposed to be: as far away from kids, colds, and anal fissures, as possible.

“So what do we have?” he asked, and looked at Cameron who had the case in her hands, she handed it to Foreman who looked confused as to why Cameron was passing the opportunity to please their boss.

“Woman, twenty-two” Foreman said, before opening the file.

“So she’s legal” House replied looking at Cameron.

“Legally dead for two minutes, in fact.” Chase said.

They got so caught on the symptoms that House could almost ignore how Cameron wasn’t talking, not to him, nor to her co-workers.

“And Cameron, go get some… urine test.”

“Yes.”

“Yes? That’s your answer?” he asked, an urine test was unnecessary and Chase and Foreman had been assigned much more funnier jobs.

Cameron didn’t even look at him as she left the room. House felt a bolt of pain on his leg, took a Vicodin and went back to the clinic to wait for them to run the test and have something to do that didn’t make him think about Cameron.

An hour later Chase and Foreman were there, telling him how nothing had come positive.

“Where’s Cameron?” They both shrugged. “I see.”

“Man, I don’t know what you did to her, but she won’t even tell us about it.” Foreman said.

“I don’t know, _man_.” House answered, and lowered his head. “Do a lumbar puncture. Get information from Cameron. Not in that order.”

Both men nodded and walked out of the clinic.

“Has it beeped yet?” the patient with a thermometer in their armpit asked when both men left the room.

“Yes, pull up your pants.”

House walked out of the clinic, evading Cuddy only because she was too busy talking to two nurses with an impressive lack of knowledge about medicine, even for nurses. He got into the elevator and closed the doors before other of the employees could do so.

He walked into his own office and found it empty, then decided to take a look to see what Wilson was doing. He perched himself in the wall separating their balconies, another bolt of pain going through his leg. Wilson was talking to a patient, and old man, older than Wilson, older than House too; he was balding but it had nothing to do with chemo, Wilson smiled and the man bended over, crying of joy, Wilson got up and put a hand on his shoulder, the man got up to and embraced him; after a while Wilson let him go, in doing so he saw House looking at him and frowned for a moment, but went back to talking to the patient about how his biopsy had come back negative. After that, when the patient left, Wilson opened the door to the balcony himself.

“It’s weird of you to just not burst in.”

“It’s not as funny if they aren’t dying in the next two to five months.”

“Yeah.” Wilson said, and put a hand in the railing. “So why didn’t you really?”

“My leg is hurting.”

“More than usual?”

“If not it wouldn’t be worth mentioning, don’t you think?”

“Did you do any exercise?”

“Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you I’m training for a marathon.”

“House.”

“No.”

“Maybe is a somatization of something, like you always do.”

“I have never in my life-” he started. But Wilson looked like saving a life (by it not being in danger on the first place) had made him dominant enough to no take any shit coming from House for at least a couple of hours (and a day max). “Cameron told me she’s really in love with me.” Wilson looked at him unbelieving. “Well, more or less.”

“And what did you do?” Wilson said, and House could tell the words almost got stuck on his throat.

“Come on, don’t get jealous, she told me she loves me, we’re not getting married.” He expected Wilson to kept talking, smirk at him and make some snarky remark that was funnier to House that he would let Wilson know. But he didn’t, so House kept talking. “I don’t love her.”

“I know.” Wilson said, and got closer to House, and House thought ‘this is it’, Wilson smiled and said. “I don’t know if you’re capable of doing so.”

“You damn well know that I’m capable of loving.” And Wilson was going to say something else, but House didn’t let him. “Now take me home, my leg is killing me.”

“I have more patients.”

“And I have a cane.”

“House, we, doctors, don’t usually have only a patient per week if at all.” Wilson sighed “Can’t you wait an hour?”

“I’ll be on your couch” House said, if his leg hadn’t been really hurting that much he would have jumped the balcony rail then, but instead he decided to go around to Wilson’s office. Wilsons nodded, kissed his check, and turned away. And house, he wasn’t sure why, maybe because those kisses still caught him off guard, took him by the sleeve of his lab coat.

“What?” Wilson said without turning back, perfectly still.

“Nothing.” House said and left his sleeve go. Five minutes later he was asleep on Wilson Couch while he did some paper work before his rounds.

Wilson didn’t have a lot of work left anyway, and he tried to make it quick, he was a sucker like that, if House had pressed just a little more he would have left work to take House home, he would have contacted some of his doctors and made them do the work (feeling horrible for it the next morning, but that wouldn’t have stopped him).

Doing his rounds Wilson started thinking that probably House would have gotten bored of waiting and left the hospital with Cameron or Foreman, or whoever let him get into their car.

To his surprise when he came back to his own office about fifty minutes later House was asleep on the couch. Wilson stood there for a moment, just looking at House, thinking that he didn’t look peaceful even on his dreams. He smiled.

“House” he said, and the other doctor didn’t move. Then Wilson smirked and went to House’s office, took the big bulk of medical histories on House desk that were halfway done, half undone, and half done by the ducklings; and threw them on House’s stomach.

“Ah!” he shouted, jerking awake, the papers everywhere.

“I’m done with my paperwork and rounds, you not so much I see.”

“Wilson! You’re an evil man!” House said, picking up the papers and discovering what they were. He was smiling.

“Do you still wanna go home?”

“Oh, yes, please. Before Cuddy discovers I’m burning all of this.”

“I’ll do as if I hadn’t heard that.”

“That will be easy for you. Unhearing my desires and deep talks.” House said picking up his things and following Wilson out of the office.

“That’s you! You’re the one that doesn’t ever pay attention to what I’m saying!” Wilson niggled closing the door.

“Sorry, what?” House answered, and smiled. Wilson rolled his eyes and walked along House to the elevator.

The ride home was comfortable and short, House fidgeted with the radio and ended up singing to a rock station before Wilson turned it off because it was ‘too distracting’. They entered the home, Wilson opened the door with his key will House waited resting against the wall.

“I’ll make something for dinner.”

“Good luck finding some recipe with Vicodin, beer, half a lemon and whatever you left on my fridge last week.”

“I have ingredients.” House turned to look at him, he seemed concerned. “What? I went shopping today at launch break, I had to get my groceries.” House only nodded a single time, he threw his jacket over the couch and sat at the piano. “Wasn’t your leg hurting?”

“It’s feeling much better than before” House answered.

“Then why-” Wilson stopped himself, still on the frame of the door, about to go to the car to recover his groceries he was going to sacrifice so House could eat something decent that wasn’t directly stolen from him. “-No, it doesn’t matter. I’ll go get the things now.”

“Okay, doll.”

“Doll? I’m not putting up with that one.”

“Too bad, _doll_. Are you saying you surrender?”

“Never, pumpkin pie.”

“That’s repulsive.”

“You weren’t saying that last night” Wilson retorted, shouting, and by that House knew someone, maybe a pretty woman, probably one of House’s neighbors, was walking nearby.

“I’m killing you on your sleep” House whispered, too low for Wilson to hear. Wilson laughed still. House smiled and started to play the piano.

They had dinner, then House played some more, smiling because Wilson was watching him, very still at first, admiring, and then, moving with the symphonies; smiling because Wilson couldn’t see him doing so.

After that they went to sleep. House on his bed, Wilson on the couch.

Next day they went to work together and it was so early that Cuddy wasn’t around to make House do his mandatory hours at the clinic, so he went up in the elevator with Wilson, there the air turned a little claustrophobic. But just when he was about to say something (God knows what) the doors opened.

“Try not to get sue today, see you later” Wilson said as a farewell on the door to the diagnosis department door.

“I’ll be good, mum” he said, and kissed Wilson check, Wilson smiled and turned away, House used that moment to slap his ass like he had done before, the entire team stilled behind the glass doors. “Starting now.” House said. Wilson just shook his head and kept walking to his own office.

He couldn’t even say ‘Good morning, Vietnam!’ before the ducklings were all over him, asking questions, oh, well, he ought to answer their curiosity.

“Did you raise it?”

“I always do, Chase, but less not talk about penises now.”

“So you didn’t.” Foreman added, getting up to get some coffee now that Cameron had gotten hers. House noticed she hadn’t raised to make a cup for him the moment she had saw him. Interesting.

“I think buying something is a bigger gesture than what I’m looking for. I may offer to do some clinic hours for him.”

“No you won’t” Foreman laughed from the coffee machine.

“No I won’t. Anything to add Cameron?”

“No” she said, not even looking at him. And, please, it was so easy to look right through that act. House was barely even amused by it.

“Vrr, that’s cold, even colder than Foreman.”

“Ha” Foreman laughed, not forgetting not so long ago it had been him the receiving end of a very similar statement.

“What if you ‘raise it’ by the number of people around to see the gesture and not by the gesture itself.” Chase said, still eager to please even if he said it wasn’t true.

“Interesting.”

House made up his mind, and he even had time to almost-kill his patient two times, because Chase was stupid, before healing her because he himself wasn’t (okay, Chase wasn’t either, and he had been almost correct, and couldn’t have known that the girl was practically taking lithium as breakfast.), in between thinking about it.

He found Wilson on the canteen at launch time and sat in front of him, Wilson handed him a Tupper.

“What is this?”

“I packed you launch, it’s yesterday’s leftovers.”

“Thanks. Are you coming tonight? The L word is on.”

“I have nothing better to do.”

“Good.” House looked around to see how many people were around and pushed himself on the table so he could kiss Wilson’s cheek dangerously close to the corner of his mouth, to someone standing far away it could have been see as a kiss on the mouth, so House was sure it counted as raising it.

“This doesn’t count as raising it.”

“So you know?” House asked, trying to look less surprised than he was.

“Of course I know, _babe_.” Wilson said, standing “No! You’re not topping again tonight, love! We made the chart for something!” he shouted, and it didn’t matter how far away from the table anyone was because anyone on the canteen was positive Wilson was the one winning now. Wilson winked and left House there with his Tupper, grinning.

“Fuck” he whispered when everyone went back to his business and Wilson had already left the canteen, “I’m really in love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life got in between me and uploading this chapter, but I promiss everything is written from the start so the fic won't be unfinished don't worry! If you liked it leave a kudo and comment! Thank you <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

House realized as he was sitting at the piano that Wilson’s clothes were migrating to his home; and that Wilson was starting to crack his neck more often, a habit he also picked up when he was living on his couch after his divorce. 

He didn’t think about it for any longer because the man in question was walking through the door, mouth already open.

“What is this?” he asked quickly before House could start playing; moving his hand signaling the whole scene. That didn’t stop his friend from starting the melody anyway. Wilson smiled, putting a hand to his mouth trying not to laugh.

“Babe! Happy one-month anniversary!” he shouted. And started singing a rendition of the cheesiest song he had found. 

He grinned looking at Wilson who looked delighted (even if he was trying not to). Everyone on the Hospital’s lobby was looking at him, his ducklings were prohibited for approaching him, but were still there, next to the elevator, they stopped Cuddy when she appeared. The look on all their faces was priceless.

He finished and everyone clapped.

“Kiss him!” a granny, with a severe case of not having anything, shouted.

“Please, grandma, we are very shy!” House said, getting up and embracing Wilson in a tight hug.

“Don’t be!” she shouted again. House rolled his eyes, feeling Wilson laughter on his neck.

“I hope this counts.”

“Oh, it sure does.”

“What is this! How did you get a piano in here!” Cuddy, now released, shouted, strolling towards them.

“Well, love, this is all your problema.” Wilson said stepping away.

“I thought couples affronted those together.”

“No till the second month at least.” Wilson said, smiling, clapped House on the shoulder and walked away. “See you later.”

“See you later” House answered. And, will ignoring Cuddy shouting at him, he realized how natural had felt that ‘love’ in Wilson’s tongue, not like all the other times when they had been throwing those words as a joke.

“Are you even listening?” Cuddy said, a little more relaxed now that everyone had gone back to their normal behavior, patients waiting, doctors practicing medicine, House making her mad…, and Foreman and Chase rolling the piano far away.

“Are you flirting with me, woman? I’m practically a married man.” He answered.

“For God’s sake, House. Dating you would only make me loss time, and losing time would make me lose the bet running about you and Wilson dating.”

“What bet? What time?”

“It’s about how long it’s going to take you both to actually date. It’s been running for years, and my time gap ends in under two months. Thank God for some reason you started doing this-“ she stopped on her tracks and looked around, “whatever this is.”

“Who?”

“If you were adult enough to be on board’s meetings you’d know.”

“So Wilson knows.”

“He thinks it’s a joke.”

“How much it’s at stake?”

“Three thousand dollars and a thousand euros, two hundred Canadian dollars and… twenty pounds.”

“Fifty-fifty and the money is ours.”

“Oh, honey, I’m confident I’ll win without any help or trick” she said, already walking away.

“I’ll hold my undying love all to myself for two more months, just out of pity” he shouted after her.

“In less than a week you and him are going to be together, mark my words House!” she answered, not turning around. House smirked. And when Cuddy was already boarding the elevator he could swear he had heard she whispering “and I’m glad.”

He walked into the office with a smile, found his ducklings already there. Looking at him. He looked at Cameron, she turned away. He had to do something about that.

“Aren’t we working too much this week? Don’t you have better things to do?”

“Better things than working at hour working hours?” asked Foreman.

“Sorry I don’t have a best friend I want to fuck.”

“What a boring awful life you have then” House answered him. “Cameron, what about you.”

“I’ll be working in another department.”

“Forever?” House asked. Cameron just stood up and vacated the room. Foreman shrugged and went out after her moment later.

“She has never been angry at you for this long, and not for real either” Chase said.

“Yeah, I know” Houe murmured, sitting at his computer chair. “But what can I do?”

“Say sorry?” Chase said, looking confused for being asked.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Sidney.”

Chase rolled his eyes and sat at the table. It was spectacular, almost maddening, how it didn’t matter how bad he treated Chase, he would never leave. If love could really change a person he would have been draw to say something to him like ‘sorry’, or ‘thank you’; thankfully as much as he was thinking about Wilson nowadays, about the possibility of something irreversible happening to their friendship, and, equally important, about the possibility of having that sweet ass of his; love had no changed him. So he didn’t go running after Cameron to ask for forgiveness.

Instead he put his jacket back on and decided to take a ride before Cuddy could find him and send him to the clinic.

He knew, he always knew what he was supposed to do. It was just…, he liked to pretend that Cameron infatuation was a joke, she was beautiful, young, even smart, he was old and crippled, and tried to make himself as incapable of being loved as possible; and Chase loved her for real, at least for now. He was still thinking about it when he saw around the corner of his eye a little jewelry shop, and he knew he had to stop, so he did.

“Do you have anything that says ‘I may have been having gay feelings for you for a good part of a decade and I’m not still sure I’ll be ever able to confess or accept your feelings if you do have them, but I’m wining so just surrender’?”

“That’s our specialty, sir.” An old man with a vest said to him turning around, probably to get either a security guard or an item to sell House and have him going as soon as possible.

“He’s Jew!” House shouted after him.

“Me too!” replied the old man, and let out a cough. Smoker. House smiled, he liked the guy, would like him more if he found something interesting.

Ten minutes later House was out of there with a present, an offer to marry an old jeweler if the thing with the other man didn’t go well, and a lot (and he meant a lot) less money in his bank.

It wasn’t technically his turn, yes, but he… wanted to give the present to Wilson, so he went straight to his office, dismissing Foreman and Chase on his way, and opened the door.

“Are you alone?”

“Not anymore.”

“I thought- Never mind.” Usually Wilson would have consult with a twelve-year-old at that time every two weeks, and he hadn’t had it last week- He shook his head, he was getting distracted, he wanted to give the present, that’s why he had bought it, that’s why he had gone straight to Wilson’s office, so he wouldn’t have time to think about it, otherwise he would have ended hiding the present and forgetting about it. “I got you something.”

“If this is a joke, I’m not really in the mood for it” Wilson said when House let the wrapped box on top of Wilson’s desk.

“It’s not a joke” House answered, pretending he was tired of Wilson lack of trust. He loved it. Loved all of him.

“Okay” Wilson said, and unwrapped the box, then, opened it. He stuttered for a moment; surprised it wasn’t really a joke after all “Wow, House, you shouldn-”

“Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t have expend all that money in a pen bu-” Wilson looked up and House saw he was in tears “If you don’t like it I have the ticket?” House said, getting closer to the desk.

“Sorry, it’s been an awful morning, and… the rest of the day it’s just… gonna be worse.”

“Anne?”

“Yes. Her and two kids more, and a new one is getting his diagnosis today.”

“I’m… sorry, Wilson. If you don’t feel like coming over to-”

“No! No, please, I….”

“I understand” he whispered, he didn’t know how or when he had gone around the desk and got Wilson on his arms. After the hug House had to go back to his department, and all he could think was how close Wilson was, suffering at the other side of the wall; but it was impossible for House to go over, not because Wilson had asked him not to do so, or because he had locked the door; but a big rope was anchoring his heart to his chair, keeping him away from Wilson because he knew, and for once wanted to respect that knowledge, that Wilson needed to finish his work without having to be thinking about Houses impertinent, sarcastic ass.

When the time came he knocked on Wilson’s door, and Wilson, eyes still red, opened the door, a half smile on his mouth, he was already wearing his jacket and holding his briefcase. They went home in Wilson’s car, no one talked on the way home, or when they got there. Wilson got something out of the fridge for House, and House looked at him till he got up and took something for himself too.

They finished and Wilson remained seated, waiting for House to go.

“Come. You look like a kicked puppy, you earned the bed.” He said, and Wilson opened the mouth to protest but decided against it and stood up, following House to the room. “I’m going to change so…”

“I’ll… do so in the bathroom.”

That was the first thing he had heard Wilson said all afternoon, and he felt his heart sinking, God, he loved the man. They changed and Wilson laid on his own side of the bed, which was, of course, the one House never used; he lied next to him.

“Good night, Wilson.”

“Good night, House.” House waited a couple of minutes for Wilson to fall asleep, and then he turned his head to see him, Wilson opened the eyes and turned his whole body towards him. “I…”

“Sssh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” House said, caressing his hair. “Death is a bitch.” He put their foreheads together and heard a little laugh coming from Wilson. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s unprecedented.”

“I tell you I’m sorry all the time, you just chose not to believe me.”

“That’s-” Wilson stooped, smiling again. “Thank you, House.”

“Let’s sleep.” House said. “You know what? Double or nothing.”

“You already did a double or nothing, if I recall the very expensive gift in my office.”

“Oh, that cheap pen? That’s nothing.” Wilson smiled at that, he knew the pen must be around three thousand dollars, minimum, probably six. “Just… just let me…” he said, and let his lips brush Wilson’s. “Yeah, that’s a little more like it! Try and rise that!”

“House.”

“Sssh, let’s sleep. We have… lives to save and all that.” House replied, and hoped that Wilson wasn’t about to strop out of the bedroom. Wilson just smiled, and put his own hand on the back of house head. He let his lips brush House’s now “That doesn’t count, that’s the same I did.”

“I know, I know, let’s sleep.”

“Good night, Wilson.”

“Good night, House.”

Next morning, he woke up to the sound of Wilson hairdryer. He had missed it for so long that wasn’t even that angry at it as he should be. He stood up, found his cane and walked to the door.

“Good morning” he said, trying to sound as grumpy as possible.

“Morning” Wilson answered still too preoccupied by his hair. “Breakfast is on the kitchen. If you’re ready on twenty you can come with me.”

“That’s not going to happen today.” House said, moving pass him, “Let me wash my hands” Wilson moved out of the way with a sigh, he waited till House was using the toilet.

“You getting there early could be some kind of… experiment in some way.”

House looked at him “You’re terrible at this ‘subtle manipulation’ early in the morning, I never knew. And must I remind you that yesterday I was there earlier than you?”

“Oh, true, that reminds me, dinner tonight?”

“Are you going to rise the bet in a very ‘R’ rated way?”

“No.”

“Okay” House said, finishing washing his hands again. “Then you better have something planed I gave you a very expensive pen that goes perfectly with your wooden desk.”

“You’re supposed to give gifts just because you want to, not because some kind of game you started on your own and then dragged me into.”

“That’s your own fault for being dragged into the game. Did you have breakfast already?”

“Yes, I did” Wilson answered, putting the hairdryer in his place. “And now you only have ten minutes more to do so.”

“Don’t think so” he said, messing with Wilson’s hair.

“House!” he shouted after him, he was already walking towards the kitchen.

He got his breakfast and changed into a clean t-shirt and jeans, he thought Wilson was still doing his hair but he was waiting for him.

“You’re going to be the death of me” he whispered under his breath passing next to him, Wilson only rolled his eyes and closed the door after them.

He spent the most part of the day at the clinic, partially because he still didn’t have a case, partially because Cuddy had made him do so. At launch he couldn’t find Wilson and so he started a search party that involucred Foreman and Cameron, Chase was nowhere to be found either, but House only had so many people in his team and he loved one man, and he wasn’t a boyband member.

“We can’t find either of them.”

“Either? Does Wilson have a twin also called Wilson?”

“I mean Chase” Foreman said, Cameron was behind him, she wasn’t angry anymore, she looked sad.

“My words were ‘And don’t look for Chase’, specifically, how could I have phrased it better?”

Foreman rolled his eyes. “He may have gone to buy something, House, I don’t know, I have things to do.”

“That’s not true, we don’t have a case and you work for me.”

“We do other things, as you already know.”

House mumbled the same words back, Foreman raised his hands and left the room.

“We didn’t look at your home, maybe…” Cameron said. And something on House heart went back alive, damn, he really cared about those people, didn’t he?

“Thank you” he said, and Cameron, with his lips in between his teeth nodded and left after Foreman.

House went back to the clinic, and, after he was sure that the pregnant-but-not, cancer-but-not, woman he had found in the clinic wasn’t going to become one of his patients, but only an idiot that didn’t know anything about life, pregnancy test or polio, he looked at his phone and found a text from Wilson:

‘I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it tonight. Maybe tomorrow. JW.’

“He signs his texts” he said to himself, trying not to think about how disappointed he was that Wilson had cancelled dinner.

“House!” Chase called for him right as he was re-reading the message.

“Now you want to see me?”

“We definitely have a case with the not-pregnant woman!”

“Why?”

“She’s pregnant.”

“No, she’s-”

“How many times can you bare to be wrong in just one day?”

House flipped the phone closed and walked to the differential. He tried to get Chase to confess he had been messing around with a nurse the whole day during it but got nothing out of his interrogation.

Two hours after that he was going back home with a stable, six months pregnant, patient who may also have an autoimmune illness or an indigestion. He hadn’t texted Wilson back, he was thinking about it when he opened the door.

“Wilson?” he said, seeing the light on the kitchen on.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry for using Chase to hold you back but-”

“Chase didn’t, a dying woman did.”

“I always love how useful dying women are for keeping you out of the house.”

“Don’t we all?” he walked to the kitchen side, and couldn’t help but see that the table was on, with two long candles on it.

“You prepared a romantic dinner?”

“I’m raising the stakes, is it too much? If you… I only made dinner, the ‘romantic’ part comes with the people on the dinner, so if it is-”

“It’s perfect. Have you finish?”

“Yeah, I was tidying up a little. We can sit if you want.”

They sat at the table and for a moment the whole place seemed to by engulfed in the void. House couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t even smell the delicious food or see anything even if he couldn’t take his eyes away from James.

“I’m sorry, this is too much, we can sit on the couch and-”

“No.” House interrupted again. “It’s perfect, let’s eat. How was your day?”

“Are you small-talking?”

“A man of many trades” House answered, and Wilson seemed to relax.

“I left the hospital just before lunch, Chase helped me later, mostly to keep you off of home.”

“You left early to make this?” House just nodded, looking at the ceiling like he himself couldn’t believe it. “So of all my team you thought Chase was the best one to help?”

“I wanted Cameron but she’s not really happy with you. What did you do?”

“I… I was an asshole.”

“You always are, what was the difference this time?”

“I will talk to her.”

“Do it. Do it tomorrow. She’s one of the best persons on your life, and one of the few people able to like, let alone love, you.”

“That’s a way to go about a romantic dinner, talking about the other girl that likes me.”

“I’m pretty confident” Wilson said winking and started eating.

After that bit of conversation the rest of the dinner was easy, they ate and laughed, and, at some point, turned on the T.V. After that Wilson went to the kitchen to do the dishes and House went after him. Wilson couldn’t believe his eyes when House moved him to do the dishes himself, giving Wilson a towel to dry them.

“This doesn’t count.”

“I know” House said.

“Talk to Cameron.”

“I know that too, anything else, mom?”

“We’ll have to talk about-”

House rolled his eyes so hard that Wilson actually snickered and stopped talking.

Next day he put on his best t-shirt to talk to Cameron, he rode with Wilson to the hospital. “I’ll see you later, love” he said, kissing House check and smiling a little, then went into his office.

“Chase, Foreman, out.”

“What? Why?” Chase said, Foreman didn’t ask anything, happy to be let out of whatever House had prepared for Cameron.

“Let’s go.”

“What about me?”

“If your name isn’t Chase or Foreman, then, by all means, stay.”

Cameron let out a sigh but stayed. After the boys had left the room she talked:

“I don’t know what this is about.”

“Come on, Cameron, you’ve been sulking for days and now you don’t know what this is about?”

“It hadn’t affected my ability to-”

“Yes, yes, you didn’t kill anyone like Chase did. But you became boring, what is far worse. You want to shout at me? Do it!”

“No, I don’t want to.”

“Shoot me if you want! What’s one more hole.”

“You are being dramatic.”

House sighted and walked towards her. “Look, Cameron, I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t, but I did, and I’ll probably do again. But you’ll find someone better than me. Better than Chase too.”

“It’s alright.”

“How is it alright already when moments ago it wasn’t?”

“I needed to hear it.”

“You, sentimentalist people, I can’t understand you.”

“Yeah, too much heart for you.”

“Maybe enough.”

“So you’re capable of loving, just not of loving me” Cameron said smiling. “That’s reassuring.”

“I’ll never understand how we didn’t up having sex, you’re so easy.”

“That’s too self-destructive, even for me.” Cameron said and now she was truly smiling, House snickered, balancing his weight in the cane “So you love him.”

“Yes.”

“And do you think it’s time to win that bet yet?”

“I should have done so years ago.”

Cameron smiled and House left the room, smiling too. Cameron sat on the nearest chair, and hit the table’s surface, then caressed her fist, she let the tears roll they weren’t for House, they weren’t for the fantasy, they were…; she hoped that Foreman and Chase wouldn’t re-enter the room soon.

House knew exactly where to find Wilson, so he went down to the clinic and found him talking to a nurse with some paper on his hand. No more nurses for you Dr. Wilson, he thought, when he shouted:

“Wilson!”

He took him by the laps on his coat and kissed him right there, in front of everyone, and Wilson only wasted a mili-second before answering to him and putting his hands on House’s nape and check, bringing him close. House started to hear the clapping just as he moved to take a breath, touching his forehead to Wilson’s for a second.

“Oh, shush it! Haven’t you ever seen two doctors in love?”

“Did you say in love?”

“Try to raise that one!”

Wilson could only laugh before bringing House in for another kiss. Then he whispered to his ear “I can ‘raise’ other things’”

“Oh, Wilson, you rascal, don’t make me blush. Your house or- Wait, you’re already living with me, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“So you won without me even noticing anything, sneaky man, that’s why I love you.”

They kissed again, getting as close as possible, knowing they should have done so years ago, knowing they had years to do it now.

“I don’t even want to know” Foreman said, next to an atonic Chase, walking out of the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the last chapter! If you're thinking about commenting about my grammar: I already know, I try to do my best always but I'm a) not a native b) just a person writting for fun. Thank you all for your support! I hope to write something more for House soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I got obsessed with House a week or two ago, so I had to write something! Hope you liked it! Kudos and comments are, as always, appreciated!


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